Rigid, hinged-lid packets of cigarettes are currently the most widely marketed, by being easy to produce and easy and practical to use, and by effectively protecting the cigarettes inside.
A rigid, hinged-lid packet of cigarettes comprises an inner package defined by a foil-wrapped group of cigarettes; and a rigid outer package housing the inner package. The outer package comprises a cup-shaped container housing the group of cigarettes and having an open top end, and a cup-shaped lid hinged to the container to rotate, with respect to the container, between an open position and a closed position opening and closing the open end respectively. A U-folded collar is normally connected to the inside of the container, and projects partly outwards of the open end to engage a corresponding inner surface of the lid in the closed position.
In the rigid, hinged-lid packet of cigarettes described in Patent Application EP2155568A1, the inner package is sealed, and comprises a sheet of airtight packing material with a cigarette extraction opening sealed by a re-usable sealing flap. In other words, the sealing flap has fastening means (e.g. a non-dry, re-stick adhesive strip) by which to repeatedly secure the sealing flap in a position closing the cigarette extraction opening. To open and close the packet easily, i.e. to open or close the lid of the outer package and the sealing flap of the inner package together in one operation, a portion of the sealing flap is glued permanently and non-removably to the lid, so that opening or closing the lid also opens or closes the sealing flap simultaneously.
It has been observed, however, that, in rigid, hinged-lid packets of cigarettes as described in Patent Application EP2155568A1, the glue connecting the sealing flap to the lid often fails after a few lid opening and closing cycles, thus resulting in detachment of the sealing flap from the lid.